Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Who Are Those Guys? ~ Tano Cimarosa



Gaetano ‘Tano’ Cimarosa was born in Messina, Sicily, Italy on January 1, 1922. He was the brother of the lesser known actors Michele and Giovanni, from his native Sicily he moved to Rome where in the early 1950 he began his acting career almost always impersonating the stereotype of the Sicilian, in both comic and dramatic roles.

His first important feature was that of the Mafioso Zecchinetta in “Il giorno della civetta” directed in 1967 by Damiano Damiani. Later he appeared alongside Alberto Sordi in the role of the father of a large family in “Il medico della mutua”, then in the role of emigrant “Bello, onesto, emigrato Australia sposerebbe compaesana illibata”Bello, and finally in the role of a prison guard in “Detenuto in attesa di giudizio”. His appearance in Franco Brusati 's “Pane e cioccolata” in 1974 in the tragicomic role of the emigrant Gigi is masterful.

In the seventies he attempted a directorial career, making three films: the erotic thriller “Il vizio ha le calze nere” (1975), the crime film “No alla violenzathe poliziottesco” (1977) and “Uomini di parola” (1981), this last film about the world of the mafia was filmed in the province of Messina.

In his Euro-westerns he always played Mexicans from peons to General Valiente in “Death on High Mountain” (1969)

In more recent years he has been a constant presence in the films of Giuseppe Tornatore (“Nuovo cinema Paradiso” as the blacksmith, “L'uomo delle stele” and “Una pura formalità”).

He has also appeared in some dramas for RAI and Mediaset, among which were “Don Matteo” in the role of uncle Carmelo, a relative of Marshal Cecchini (Nino Frassica).


CIMAROSA, Tano (aka Gaetano Cimarosa) (Gaetano Cisco) [1/1/1922, Messina, Sicily, Italy – 5/24/2008, Messina, Sicily, Italy] – director, writer, film, TV, voice actor, brother of Michele Cimarosa (Michaele Cisco) [1929-1993], actor Gianni Cimarosa (Giovanni Cisco).
God May Forgive You, Not Me - 1968 (Chico) [as Gaetano Cimarosa]
Death on High Mountain – 1969 (General Valiente)
They Call Me Amen – 1972 (Chaco)
They Still Call Me Amen - 1972 (Chaco)

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